From now on, whenever you hear the term "the global economy" you should immediately equate it with the destruction of the U.S. middle class. Over the past several decades, the American economy has been slowly but surely merged into the emerging one world economic system. Unfortunately for the middle class, much of the rest of the world does not have the same minimum wage laws and worker protections that we do. Therefore, the massive global corporations that now dominate our economy are able to pay workers in other countries slave labor wages and import the products that they make into the United States to compete with products made by "expensive" American workers. This has resulted in a mass exodus of manufacturing facilities and jobs from the United States

#5 Between December 2000 and December 2010, 38 percent of the manufacturing jobs in Ohio were lost, 42 percent of the manufacturing jobs in North Carolina were lost and 48 percent of the manufacturing jobs in Michigan were lost.

A female pedestrian was struck and killed by a bus Sunday at Linwood Boulevard and Main Street.
Police said the incident occurred about 2:20 p.m. and involved a Kansas City Area Transportation Authority bus. Police said a witness reported the woman was running alongside the bus and pounding on it when she fell and was run over.
ATA spokeswoman Cindy Baker said investigators would check the bus for mechanical problems and give the driver a drug test, both standard procedures.

A unionized public employee, a teabagger, and a CEO are sitting at a table. In the middle of the table is a plate with a dozen cookies on it. The CEO reaches across and takes 11 cookies, then looks at the teabagger and says "watch out for that union guy-- he wants a piece of your cookie"

Max and I had a fairly pleasant ride home, however it was pouring rain and people drove like idiots.

The worst drivers as usual were the ones driving the SUV’s.

We made pretty good time but just missed a red line so we had some coffee which distracted us so we had to run to catch the next red line. We made it by about 2 minutes.

It turned out that I had left my script sunglasses in the rental car so I drove back to the airport to get them.

Unfortunately the car rental place was not actually at the airport so somehow I got turned around and ended up on Marine Drive, heading to St John’s. There is nothing on Marine Drive so after driving into the abyss for about 10 minutes I called someone who was able to direct me in the right direction. Finally found the highway and made it home.

It was a good trip, nice to see Chad, Dave and Adron again, and a couple of new people.

But the highlight of the Trip was getting to meet Jeff Welch, who highly underestimates his public appearance qualities.

Articulate and witty, this man really portrays the best of us bus drivers!

Thanks to the Seattle folks, and special thanks to Adron Hall who generously picked up the tab for the dinner!

So, how many TriMet employees does it take to send out a Twitter message about MAX melting down?

Probably just one. But the 16-ton bureaucracy of Oregon's largest transit agency can turn something as simple as sending out a 140-character message into roadkill.

In fact, many of the 5,000 commuters who follow TriMet's Twitter feed expecting timely service alerts will tell you that the agency's use of social media is a joke.

Of course, Commuter Joe has probably never ridden a bus to know what it's like to deal with when the bus doesn't show up...TriMet at least makes an effort with MAX disruptions. All those "Rider Guides" that get dispatched to help MAX riders - you'll never see them around a bus disruption. Transit Tracker signs...good luck finding one at a bus stop (outside of the Transit Mall or the few stops off, but adjacent to, the mall). And a lot of bus riders don't have cell phones...so Twitter is utterly useless to them.

Another set of data that is not available on the state transparency website is the spending by Oregon’s “quasi public” agencies. Quasis are agencies that are not directly accountable to the voters or to legislators but were created by government to perform public services. They have the power to raise revenues, but outside of the normal budget process of state government, and they are run by appointed – not elected – boards. They include such agencies as TriMet, the Port of Portland, OHSU and the Portland Development Commission. I recently published a report about quasis, noting that while none of them have their budget data at the state transparency website, many of them have very little budget information on their own website, and none of them provide “checkbook-level” spending information.

Dear Al,
The tens of thousands of people gathered at the Wisconsin statehouse have not gone home in nearly two weeks. We've watched them march, chant, sing, and camp out in the statehouse.
Now, what will you do to help them and defend the rights of American workers?
Join the nationwide day of solidarity rallies this Saturday, Feb. 26 at 12 Noon. Rallies are planned in all 50 states and will bring thousands of people to every statehouse and major city to say NO to the assault on the middle-class.
We will be turning OR into Madison on Saturday as workers, community members, clergy and everyday Americans take a stand for justice.Sign up for the rally in OR.
Hundreds of TWU members have already sent their messages of support and signed our petition. If you haven't yet, send your message of solidarity.
Wisconsin is ground zero in the battle to protect the basic right of workers to have a union. Americans must take a united stand against the anti-worker politicians in states like Ohio and Indiana that are proposing similar legislation that would take away collective bargaining for public workers and eventually all workers.
We might not have the billions of dollars that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's billionaire supporters have, such as the Koch brothers, but we do have people power and know how to mobilize for equality and justice.The voice of working people is starting to win. In Indiana, workers have pressured the state legislature to withdraw some of the most draconian anti-worker legislation and the Democratic State Senators in Wisconsin continue to stay away from the statehouse in order to block the bill.Join in the movement. Get details on the rally in OR.

Thank you for taking the time to send me your own reasoned thoughts in relation to this issue. I received over 200 emails yesterday in response to the ACLU's Action Alert. Almost all of them simply copy the same sentences with no added thoughts. Yours is refreshing. Thank you for caring enough to send me your own words rather than the 168th copy of the ACLU's.

An Operator was transported today at the Tigard Transit Center. She was poisoned by CO2. She is a Powell Operator. The mechanic found a one inch break in the 4" flex tube from the exhaust manifold to the stack. The poor Operator had a head splitting headache, burning eyes and threw up twice. It appears this is happening more and more with our Operators.

As is apparent, I am very disappointed with Trimet management over my latest warning letter.
Hopefully Hayden will see the errors that are so prominent and authorize the necessary changes.
It is my hope that fairness and facts will prevail!
(this is not my video!)

In South Korea, buses are color-coded to let travelers know what kind of bus it is (long distance, feeder route, express, circular). On top of that, they divided the city into 8 zones, and number the buses based on how they travel between zones with the bus's ID as the last digit. So for example, bus 048 travels from zone 0 to zone 4 and is ID# 8. Very simple system for people to get around, especially if they don't speak Korean.

Shep Smith: Wisconsin Fight Has Nothing Do With Budget, All About Busting UnionsOn Wednesday's "Studio B," Shepard Smith said the battle over union rights in Wisconsin was all about busting unions and securing Republican political power, not about the state's budget deficit.It was a take that placed Smith squarely in agreement with people such as Rachel Maddow, who has repeatedly argued essentially the same thing on her show.Speaking to a mostly-in-agreement Juan Williams, Smith said the fight was "100 percent politics.""There is no budget crisis in Wisconsin," he said, adding that the unions "[have] given concessions." The real point of the fight, Smith said, could be found in the list of the top ten donors to political campaigns. Seven out of the ten donated to Republicans; the other three were unions donating to Democrats."Bust the unions, and it's over," Smith said. He then brought up the Koch brothers, the billionaires who have bankrolled much of the anti-union pushback in Wisconsin. The fight, Smith said, "started" with the Kochs, who he said were trying to get a return on the money they donated to Walker's campaign."I'm not taking a side on this, I'm just telling you what's going on...to pretend this is about a fiscal crisis in the state of Wisconsin is malarkey," Smith said.

b) 1997 and 1998 Lease transactionsDuring fiscal years 1997 and 1998, the District entered into sale-leaseback transactions for 31 light rail vehicles witha foreign investor. Additionally, in fiscal years 1997 and 1998, the District entered into a series of lease-leasebacktransactions with domestic investors for the same 31 light rail vehicles, plus an additional 41 light rail vehicles andtwo rail maintenance facilities.Equipment sales to the foreign investor resulted in original proceeds to the District of $80,600. The investor leasedall assets back to the District for a period of 18 years. The leases qualify for accounting treatment as operatingleases. Using the proceeds of the sales, the District fully funded payment agreements with American InternationalGroup, Inc. (AIG) totaling $65,849. Under the payment agreements, AIG is obligated to make all required leasepayments. The prepayments by the District to AIG are recorded as prepaid lease expense in the accompanyingbalance sheets and are expensed over the term of the lease. The payment agreements do not constitute legaldefeasance. Thus, if AIG fails to fulfill its contractual obligation to make future lease payments, the District will berequired to meet all financial obligations required under the lease transaction.Under the foreign sale-leaseback agreement, the foreign investor has a put option which requires the District to buyback the leased equipment if exercised. If the investor does not exercise the put option, the District may offer tobuy the equipment pursuant to the terms of the lease agreement and the lessor shall accept such offer. The Districtalso deposited $11,995 with AIG, which represents the present value of the options at the buy back dates. Thesedeposits earn interest at rates ranging from 5.3 percent to 5.9 percent and are recorded as long-term restrictedlease deposits on the District’s balance sheets. The interest earned on the restricted deposits is recorded as acomponent of net leveraged lease expense on the statements of revenues, expenses and changes in net assets.The arrangement discussed in this paragraph does not constitute legal defeasance. Thus, if AIG fails to fulfill itscontractual obligation to fund TriMet’s buy back of the vehicles, the District will be required to complete the buyback with other funds.In simultaneous transactions, the District leased its leasehold interest (the Head Leases) in the equipment to
domestic third party investors (the Leasehold Investors) under the 1998 and 1997 leasehold agreements for a
period of 36 and 30 years, respectively. The Head Leases qualify for accounting treatment as operating leases.
The Leasehold Investors prepaid all required lease payments totaling $175,849, which have been recorded as
unearned lease revenue on the accompanying balance sheets. The unearned revenue is recognized over the
terms of the leases.
The 1998 and 1997 Leasehold Investors sublet all assets back to the District for a period of 18 and 15 years,
respectively. The subleases also qualify as operating leases. TriMet used the proceeds of the lease transactions
to fully fund payment agreements with AIG totaling $130,562. Under the terms of the payment agreements, AIG is
required to make all sublease payments. The prepayments are recorded as prepaid lease expenses in the
accompanying balance sheets and are expensed over the terms of the leases.
In addition, the District deposited the present value of the Head Lease purchase options with AIG. The deposits
accrete interest at rates ranging from 5.8 percent to 7.1 percent and are recorded as restricted lease deposits on
the District’s balance sheets. The payment agreements and the funding of the purchase option price do not
constitute legal defeasance. Thus, if AIG fails to fulfill its contractual obligation to make future payments, the
District will be required to meet all financial obligations required under the lease transaction.
The operative documents of the 1997 and 1998 transactions were reviewed and approved by the U.S. Department
of Transportation acting through the Federal Transit Administration. In exchange for its participation in the
transactions discussed above, the District received net cash proceeds of $15,953, which were recorded as
unearned revenue and are amortized over the lease terms.
In the event AIG’s ratings are downgraded by Standard & Poors below “AA” or by Moody’s below “Aa3”, AIG is
required to pledge collateral equal to the present value of AIG’s future obligations under those agreements. In
September 2008, AIG was downgraded to A- by Standard & Poors and A2 by Moody’s, thus triggering the collateral
requirement. By November 2008, AIG had met all collateralization requirements. As of June 30, 2010 and 2009, a
third party custodian is holding securities with a market value of $40,278 and $37,411, respectively, in satisfaction
of AIG’s collateralization requirements. In addition, TriMet was required to replace three standby letters of credit
issued by AIG. In lieu of replacing the letters of credit, and with consent of the equity investors, TriMet pledged
supplemental collateral held by a third party totaling $600, which is recorded as a restricted investment on the
Balance Sheet.
As of June 30, 2010, TriMet is not aware of any default, event of default or event of loss under any of the operative
documents.
In February 2009, TriMet negotiated an early termination of four of the United States lease-leaseback transactions.
These early terminations resulted in liquidation of $20,691 in prepaid lease expenses, $32,114 in long term lease
deposits, and $58,732 in unearned lease revenue. Net of transaction expenses, the 2009 early terminations
created $5,374 in gains recorded as special items within the Statement of Revenues, Expenses and Changes in
Net Assets.

About stimulus funds

TriMet was awarded $53.7 million in federal stimulus funds to be used to fix failing infrastructure, make the transit system more robust and put Oregonians to work. It’s estimated that federal stimulus dollars funded approximately 181,895 job hours with a payroll of $9.85 million as of January 31, 2011.

Light Rain Snow Fog/MistWind : Northwest at 8.1 MPH (7 KT)Humidity : 93 %Pressure : 1012.3 mbWeather ForecastWednesday, February 23rd- 4:30pm So we are all playing the waiting game. Waiting for the cold air and snow to reach the valley floor. Most of the day has been a mix of rain, snow and sun breaks. Later tonight that will change as colder air arrives across the region. Once the cold air arrives the rain snow mix will turn to all snow.I think the cold air arrives between 10pm and midnight. I have down graded the amount of snow we're going to be to between 1" to 2" on the valley floor and up to 3" in the higher elevations. Snow showers will decrease late Thursday.Even though the snow tapers off the cold air will be sticking around.This weekend overnight lows will plunge into the teens. New records can be expected Friday night and Saturday.Tonight's low 32Thursday's high 36

I was planning on attending today’s board meeting and speaking myself but unfortunately I was not feeling very well.

I also will be arranging a meeting with Trimet’s current Director of Transportation to discuss my disciplinary letter in an open and free atmosphere so I want to see how that turns out before I take any further action on this issue.

I’m hoping of course that I can convince Hayden of my arguments against the wording of the letter and have a change made to official policy before I am to be warned in cases such as this.

I have never said that management does not have the right to regulate my behavior, but I have to know the rules of the game and those rules have tobe clear and concise, not vague and broad.

The names of those that signed his petition were given to him and he did retaliate against as many members as he could (including me) until he got caught. All of the paperwork was at the Union meeting. IT WAS ANNOUNCED THE DOCUMENTS WERE PRIVATE AND TO STAY IN THE MEETING. Our co-worker (Ranting's) took everything home with him, published it on his site and then created and published fourteen (14) inflammatory, slanderous You Tubes about me because he saw my name on the re-call petition. Cyber Bully/Stalker's try to CONTROL one's activities by acting out online.

Most of that statement is bullshit of course, cause she writes and thinks bullshit. However, when I showed up at MY VERY FIRST UNION MEETING, it was in the case of Khris Alexander. I had never been to a union meeting before that time.

And when I reviewed the documents against Khris, to my shock
I found MY NAME ALL OVER THEM!

Nobody had bothered to tell me before hand that my name was
in a prominent position in this case.

If I hadn't gone to the meeting then I would have never known
that my name and activites were a central part of Ellen's case
against Khris Alexander.

YOUR DAMN RIGHT I PUBLISHED THEM, AND WOULD DO IT AGAIN.

At the request of President Hunt, I removed them.

But to this day one of the main problems I have with our union is if
you don't go to the meeting you do not get to know anything that went on.

Another person attending the OPAL rally was 16-year-old Cameron Johnson. The teen-ager started volunteering with OPAL last summer after he spoke at several TriMet meetings last year. Johnson says his father recently lost his job and that the family couldn't afford to keep their car. Now everyone in his family takes the bus to the grocery store, to movies and to school. With the shorter transfer times, he says, they can't get to all of the stops they need without buying two tickets. And if that wasn't bad enough, when they miss their connection they must walk home with their groceries. Johnson says he's already collected over 700 signatures from bus riders and is excited to keep spreading the word.

HILLSBORO, Ore. -- One person was taken to a hospital after an accident involving a MAX train in Hillsboro this morning.TriMet officials say one person came into contact with the train. The person survived and was alert and talking when taken to a hospital, officials say.The incident happened near the Tuality Hospital and Southeast 8th Avenue Station.MAX blue line service was halted in the area to allow for an investigation. Shuttle buses carried riders between the Southeast 12th Avenue and the Hatfield Government Center stations.By 7 a.m., MAX blue line service resumed, but riders were told to expect delays as trains returned to regular schedules.

I've read books (What's the Matter with Kansas?), articles, stories...trying to understand why people will vote for, and support, issues that work against their own self interest. Case in point. Public Employee Unions. Among them are Police, Firemen, and Teachers. You know, the people who protect us, fight our fires, save our lives, and we hold responsible for preparing our children to win the global intellectual wars to come.

Over the years, through collective bargaining, some have gained benefits richer than many in the private sector. That must be acknowledged by every thinking person. Equally fair, is to acknowledge that on average salaries for Public Employees are lower than their private sector counterparts. It is not uncommon for unions to negotiate wage concessions for benefit enhancements or ,when times are bad, just to maintain the benefits they had previously negotiated for.

The key word here being "negotiated." No one blackmailed anybody, held a gun to anyone's head. The wages and benefits and working conditions were NEGOTIATED. Both sides at the table. It is through negotiation that American workers today have sick leave, overtime laws, health insurance (the lucky ones), child labor laws, disability benefits, etc. In fact, you can thank the labor movement for just about anything having to do with improving the lot of the American worker. Not to mention growing the Middle Class.

But Republicans and the right-wing media would have us believe that we no longer need unions. That we have all the rules and regulations we will ever need. That businesses and corporations will always do the right thing. They will always pay fair salaries. They will always protect our jobs if we become sick, or need to care for a sick child or parent. They will always allow access to health insurance for us and our families, and they will always, always, put our safety above corporate profit.

Even more amazing than expecting us believe that bunch of malarkey, is the fact that...we are. Thanks to the right-wing media machine, a great number of us believe that Public Employee Union Members are greedy leeches sucking their tax dollars with free health care for them and their extended families including cousins and aunts and uncles, before enjoying cushy retirements in the Bahamas. Oh yeah, and Public Employees make 10 times more than their counterparts in the private sector. You know, all those rich policemen, firemen, and teachers. Lots of new BMWs and Mercedes in those employee parking lots, I'm sure.

But the head shaker is that people across this country, working people, believe unions are bad. That Public Employee Unions are particularly evil and a major cause of state budget deficits. Not the bankers who caused all the home foreclosures driving down property values and in turn state property tax revenue, or Wall St. that brought about a financial crisis that cost people their jobs and their retirement nest eggs. No, the problem is with Policemen, Firemen, Elementary School Teachers. People who protect the beauty of our national parks, and make sure our letters are delivered thousands of miles across the country, on time and to the right location, for 44 cents. Who says government doesn't do anything right.

Most of those who demonize unions have never experienced a union first hand. And for that they can thank Republicans. They have successfully demonized unions, made it harder for workers to unionize, so that now only about 8% of the private sector workforce is allowed to collectively bargain for wages, benefits, and working conditions. The other 92% has to shut up and take what they are handed.

Meanwhile, corporate bosses are making 300-400 times what their workers make. They are paying less taxes, sending jobs overseas, and doing quite well thank you. They can affording sending their children to the best private schools,giving them the best chance of success in a global market, while our public schools teach with outdated books in overcrowded classrooms. And school days have to be reduced just to make the budget.

What happened to the Eisenhower Republicans? Republicans that supported organized labor. That appreciated that unions helped grow the Middle Class. Helped to make workplaces safer, children not be abused, and workers not taken advantage of...not thrown under the bus of corporate greed.

And when might Republicans understanding that business needs customers. And customers need livable wages and good health. That in a world without unions, the American worker will be left depending upon their corporate bosses' benevolence.

An open bus as Sunset Transit Center last night was raided by some teenagers who smeared dog feces all over the driver's seat!Dispatch asked the driver to bring it back to the garage!Obviously the driver objected!A union rep had to be called in to negotiate the terms of bus retrieval!Things are getting bad out here folks!There are no buses, no replacement drivers, and conditions keep getting worse!

King County’s RapidRide A Line tops expectations for ridership, customer satisfaction

New findings show A Line ridership up an estimated 25 percent
King County Metro Transit’s RapidRide A Line has become so popular in its first few months of operation that ridership along the 11-mile route serving Pacific Highway South/International Boulevard in South King County has surpassed expectations. Not only has ridership increased by about 25 percent, overall satisfaction with service on the corridor is at an all-time high with 84 percent of riders giving the A Line a thumbs-up.

“These new findings confirm that people will leave their cars and take the bus if they are assured of reliable, frequent, and improved bus services and stations,” said King County Executive Dow Constantine. “Within a matter of months, the A Line has proven how effective bus rapid transit can be as Metro restructures service to increase efficiency and achieve greater customer satisfaction."

The new ridership data shows that during the first three months of operation, the RapidRide A Line delivered about 1,500 additional daily bus trips compared to the Route 174 it replaced. The 25 percent increase in passenger boardings means King County Metro is halfway toward achieving its five-year ridership goal of a 50 percent increase on the A Line.

And a recently conducted on-board survey of more than 500 A Line passengers reveals a variety of reasons why RapidRide has become a popular travel alternative. In addition to achieving an overall 84 percent satisfaction rating compared to a 52 percent satisfaction rating on the route it replaced, the A Line scored high with passengers in several other areas, such as:

* 81 percent overall satisfaction with how long their bus trip takes,
* 83 percent satisfaction with how often buses run during peak hours,
* 88- 90 percent satisfaction with Metro’s new hybrid-electric RapidRide coaches and on-board features, and
* 81 percent satisfied with the A Line getting them to their destination on time.

Suggestions noted in the survey for improving the A Line ranged from further reducing stops along the route to adding even more service, especially at night and on weekends.

“This success proves the A Line was a great choice to be Metro’s first bus rapid transit route”, said King County Councilmember Julia Patterson. “The steady increase in ridership shows RapidRide will continue to play an instrumental role in supporting the creation of good paying jobs while offering a good travel option for residents and students in South King County who are highly dependent on transit.”

“This feedback tells us that Metro customers already view the A Line as a quality product that is making their daily travel easier and more convenient,” said County Councilmember Pete von Reichbauer. “These numbers suggest RapidRide will also be an important factor in supporting job-producing growth in South King County as our local economy improves.”

The RapidRide A Line combines the best features Metro has to offer by providing 10- to 15-minute service much of the day with additional improvements, such as new three-door hybrid coaches, station lighting, off-board ORCA card readers and WiFi on the buses.

Together, these RapidRide features have cut travel times by up to one-third along the busy line serving the cities of Federal Way, Des Moines, Kent, SeaTac, and Tukwila.

The high customer satisfaction expressed in the survey is expected to be a strong indicator of future ridership and customer satisfaction on future RapidRide lines.

“Given its strong start, we’re confident the A Line will be a great model for what riders can expect when additional RapidRide lines are added,” said Metro General Manager Kevin Desmond. “This fall, riders on the Eastside will be the next to experience the benefits of RapidRide when the B Line begins serving neighborhoods between Redmond and Bellevue.”

Beutler and Foster said in addition to holding monthly safety meetings and employing a full time safety committee, CVTD has created a work environment where employees can talk openly about safety concerns. “We want to hear from the workers, mechanics, operators who are out there and see the safety hazards that exist,” Foster said. “We’ve changed routes based on safety concerns from drivers.”

The Claim: A Fake Smile Can be Bad for Your HealthBy ANAHAD O’CONNOR-New York TimesTHE FACTS

When was the last time you flashed a fake smile at the office?

For some, it may be just another mundane aspect of work life — putting on a game face to hide your inner unhappiness. But new research suggests that it may have unexpected consequences: worsening your mood and causing you to withdraw from the tasks at hand.

In a study published this month in the Academy of Management Journal, scientists tracked a group of bus drivers for two weeks, focusing on them because their jobs require frequent, and generally courteous, interactions with many people.

The scientists examined what happened when the drivers engaged in fake smiling, known as “surface acting,” and its opposite, “deep acting,” where they generated authentic smiles through positive thoughts, said an author of the study, Brent Scott, an assistant professor of management at Michigan State University.

After following the drivers closely, the researchers found that on days when the smiles were forced, the subjects’ moods deteriorated and they tended to withdraw from work. Trying to suppress negative thoughts, it turns out, may have made those thoughts even more persistent.

But on days when the subjects tried to display smiles through deeper efforts — by actually cultivating pleasant thoughts and memories — their overall moods improved and their productivity increased.

Women were affected more than men. Dr. Scott suspected cultural norms might be at play: women are socialized to be more emotionally expressive, he said, so hiding emotions may create more strain.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Research suggests that an inauthentic smile to hide unhappiness can further worsen your mood.

My Comment: The statement above is a never ending circle of he said, she said and she said, he said. The fact of the matter is no one has been able to sit the author and me together and get all the facts on the table. After four years of this I feel it is time to get the facts out and that is why I have filed the “Preferring of Charges”. This will give us all a chance to present our facts and allow a Trial Committee place judgment on us. The author of that statement is concerned about me having anger or interpersonal problems? OK I bite, what kind of help should I get?

Both routes are around 15 miles long - WES is 14.7 miles long; SWIFT is 16.7 miles long.

Both are suburb to suburb routes.

Both are new services opened in 2009.

Both expected to have 2,500 daily boarding rides at the end of the first year of operation.

That's where the similarities end.

WES cost over $160 million to build. It required the construction of four specially built "Diesel Multiple Unit" railcars from an unproven builder whose only experience was luxury coaches used up in Alaska.

SWIFT cost just $29 million. It used restyled New Flyer D60LFR buses - a proven workhorse in daily service throughout the Puget Sound region and throughout Canada and the United States.

WES required expensive, high level boarding platforms at each stop; transfers to buses are tedious and sometimes a good walking distance away. Ticket Vending Machines only accept debit or credit cards.

SWIFT uses platforms that integrate seemlessly with sidewalks in the neighborhood, and other bus routes can also use the exact same platforms. TVMs accept paper or coin currency, credit or debit card, or ORCA cards.

WES barely cracks 1300 rides after two years of service, and still fails its first-year ridership goal. WES is one of TriMet's most expensive services, costing nearly $18 per boarding ride (at one point it was as high as $30 per boarding ride.) WES does attain nearly 94 boarding rides per revenue hour, but loses its efficiency in wasting 36 minutes of each 90 minutes by sitting at either Beaverton or Wilsonville (resulting in a drop down to 56.25 boarding rides per operating hour), while many TriMet bus routes far exceed this kind of productivity.

SWIFT met its first-year goal within months, and had 3,300 daily riders at the end of its first year of operation. SWIFT has become Community Transit's most productive route with 21.5 boarding rides per hour - impressive, considering that Community Transit serves only Snohomish County, a suburban county, and not higher populated areas like Seattle proper (except by express route) nor does it generally serve Everett, Snohomish County's largest city.

WES provides just weekday rush hour service every 30 minutes - a total of eight trains in the morning, and eight in the afternoon (first train leaving Wilsonville at 5:21 AM and first afternoon train at 3:28 PM; last train arrives Wilsonville at 9:55 AM and in the afternoon at 8:02 PM.)

SWIFT provides weekday service starting at 5:00 AM and continuing every 10 minutes until 7:00 PM; then every 20 minutes until midnight. SWIFT also provides Saturday service every 20 minutes from 6:00 AM until midnght. (There used to be Sunday service, but due to budget cuts all Sunday service across the transit agency was slashed.)